A new era of the Cincinnati Bengals was ushered in when Zac Taylor took over as head coach in 2019. After having a defensive-minded leader like Marvin Lewis for so long, fans craved an offensive upgrade, but were fearful of how the defense might taper off.
However, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo took a very bad Bengals defense that Lewis left in Cincinnati, and he turned them into a league-average unit. They were even bordering on elite during the 2022 NFL season. But then, things took a dramatic turn for the worse.
Anarumo was let go this offseason, rightfully made the scapegoat for Cincinnati's lack of recent success.